Love Scenes
by Brown Eyes Parker
Summary: One-Shots inspired by different Broadway musicals. Title inspired by "Let's Play A Love Scene" from Fame. Jane/Lisbon-centric. Story 5 - "The Perfect Time & Place", a Jane/Lisbon Story.
1. Act 1 - We Kiss In A Shadow

**Act 1: We Kiss In A Shadow**

**A Jane & Lisbon Story**

**By Brown Eyes Parker**

**Author's Note:**

**Okay, I really don't **_**need**_** to start ANOTHER collection of one-shots, but I've wanted to do this for a while. And I am GOING to finish "That's How It Should Be", I actually have two stories planned for it when I'm finished working on my last story for the Mentalist Big Bang (or maybe sooner, if I need a mental break). So, I hope you enjoy these one-shots as I feel inclined to write them. Oh, and I wanted to come up with an awesome title for this story, but in the end it evaded me and "We Kiss In A Shadow", which was the inspiration for this story was the best thing I could come up with.**

**Rated: T**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did, I'd be INCREDIBLY wealthy and/or old, depending on what I owned.**

**.**

"I don't want you to go," he as he tangled his fingers through her dark hair and held her closer.

"I don't want to go either," she replied. "But we both agreed when we started this, that staying the night wouldn't be a prudent decision. And I've already stayed longer than I should have tonight."

He sighed. "I know. I just wish we could have more than a few hours together. I wish we—"

She put a finger to his lips, stopping him mid-sentence. "Me too."

He sighed again, a little more wistfully than before. "Maybe next time."

"Maybe next time," she agreed.

It was pointless to say things like that though. They both knew the next time (whenever the next time was) would be the same story. They'd meet at a hotel hours away from Sacramento, check in under different names, steal a few beautiful hours together and then she'd have to creep out before it got too light. At first they'd been okay with it, grateful for whatever time they could spend together, however short it might be. As their one year anniversary started approached, they both had started to wish for more.

But Red John still at large _more_ was completely impossible. So, they took what they could get and pretended to be content with it, hoping that if they pretended long enough than they'd believe it eventually.

She sat up, turned on the lamp and allowed herself a moment to get adjusted to the light. He was already out of bed, collecting their clothes.

He handed her the little black dress she'd worn earlier that night, helping her zip it up when she had put it on. His fingers lingered a moment at the nape of her neck and then he turned her around and forced himself to smile, his sigh echoing that of her own and they stared at each other longingly as they tried to drag out their last few minutes together.

"I really have to go now," she said, standing on tip-toe to kiss him on the mouth. "I'll see you at work tomorrow, okay?"

"Tomorrow," he agreed, holding onto her tightly.

He hated tomorrow though, tomorrow it would be business as usual. They'd be Jane and Lisbon again, two best friends waiting a little too patiently for the next time they could meet and be lovers again.

She laughed affectionately as she untangled herself from his arms and slipped into mile-high black shoes. "You're acting like we're never going to see each other again. It'll only be a few hours though, nothing's going to happen."

"It'll be forever until we have this again though," he replied, sweeping his hand around the lavish hotel room for emphasis.

She slipped into her black trench coat and cinched the waist. "I know," she said a little regretfully. "I know."

He followed her to the door and opened it for her, removing the _do not disturb_ sign as he did. "Promise that we won't have to wait forever to do this again."

"I promise," she said, stealing another kiss as she tried to memorize the feel of his lips beneath her's and the way he smelled until she could really be with him again.

He kissed her back, doing the same thing and then watched mournfully as she hurried to the elevator without looking back at him. If she saw the look on his face while he watched her go then she'd come rushing right back to him, and that wouldn't do them any good.

**.**

"I'm tired of hiding," he said a month later as they lay side-by-side on the hotel floor and watched the clouds chase the moon. "I just want one day to be free from all this. . . to show the world that you're mine and to say _I love you_ aloud."

"You just said it aloud," she teased, turning on her stomach and resting her chin on his shoulder.

"It's not the same thing though," he answered. "I want to say it and have the whole world hear. I want them to see us together without worrying that he'll catch us and ruin everything. I don't just want one night, I want _all _the nights. And I know that if this were another life then I might be able to have all those things."

"We just need to catch Red John and then all the secrets will be out in the open. You'll have everything you want and more. I'll make sure of it. For now though, we have to be content with what we have now. Wishing for things we can't have aren't going to get us anywhere."

"You're right, and I don't want to take anything away from this moment we have right now."

"Good," she whispered, leaning up to kiss him.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and returned her kiss, closing his eyes as he savored her taste and in her nearness, trying to drink her in before their time together ran out again.

Later that night, they sat cross-legged on the hotel bed and ate spaghetti with sauce while they watched Animal Planet documentaries and made more small talk, carefully avoiding the subjects that plagued them in real life.

At the end of the night, it was still hard for him to watch her go. But he forced himself to think about the future they would share together once his enemy was gone and for the first time in months, he didn't drag out their goodbye.

**.**

The first strains of an annoying bubblegum pop song filled the air as the alarm by her beside went off. She sighed and pounded the snooze button impatiently, not quite ready to leave the warmth of her bed or her lover's arms for work.

He shifted beside her. "Five more minutes," he murmured.

"Five more minutes," she agreed, snuggling closer and smiling.

It had almost taken two years, but for the first time since they'd come together they had been able to spend the whole night together.

**_The End_**

**Author's Note II:**

**The story is REALLY unpolished, and that's the whole reason I didn't write it when I got the idea for it last June. But it's been bugging me, so I decided to just write it and put it out there. You don't have to like it, but I'd love to hear what you think. Don't tell me about my mistakes though, I know that I have mistakes because I wrote it rather quickly and didn't get it beta-ed. **

**Anyways, I should be updating "How Jane Stole Valentine's Day" in the next few days. It won't exactly take place on Valentine's Day though because we're kind of past that. **

**Until next time!**

**Holly, 2/16/2013_**


	2. Act 2 - Stay

**Story 2 – Staying**

**A Jane & Lisbon Story**

**By Brown Eyes Parker**

**Summary:**

**Inspired by "And You're Gonna Love Me" from Dreamgirls.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned anything, I wouldn't be sitting at my mother's laptop, belting out "And I Am Telling You", poorly.**

**Rated: T**

**Shout-Outs: Wldwmn, guest, JJ, LAurore, Lothlorien Aeterna, and Chiisana Minko for the reviews on story 1.**

**Author's Note:**

**I'll answer reviews tomorrow, trying to get this finished and posted before the new Mentalist episode.**

**.**

"**You can say what you want, I'm not walking out. Stop all the rivers, push, strike and kill, I'm not gonna leave you. "**

**And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going, Dreamgirls_**

"Just go now," Patrick Jane said as he stared out at the torrential downpour soaking the sandy beach, the tone of his voice was that of a defeated man. "I don't have anything left to say to you right now."

"Don't send me away," Teresa Lisbon replied, moving in a little closer and putting her arms around his waist from behind.

"Go," he repeated, ignoring the way she held onto him like she was never going to let him go. "Red John is gone, we're finished. We don't have anything left now—"

"That's not true!" She told him quietly as she tightened her grip and buried her face between his shoulder blades, silently praying that he'd understand she just couldn't let him go.

Not with everything they'd shared the past decade.

Not when he had had a claim on her heart for almost as long as that.

"Please—" he repeated softly, stiffening slightly under her persistent touch. "Please just leave me alone."

Lisbon pulled away and walked around him, so they were facing each other. She grabbed his shoulders and looked him directly in the eyes. "You can't keep shutting me out, Patrick!"

Jane stared at her in disbelief. "What's it going to take to get you to leave?"

"_Nothing!" _she replied adamantly, not breaking their steady gaze for even a second. "There is nothing you can do or say that will make me leave."

"Nothing, really?"

"Anything is game," she answered. "Just _try_ and do your worse, it won't make any difference. It'll just make me want to stay with you more."

Jane's shoulders sagged slightly and Lisbon dropped her hands to her sides, turning to look out the window at the crashing waves.

"Why?" Jane asked quietly as he put a little more distance between them.

She glanced back at him. "Why what?"

"Why aren't you going to leave me?"

Lisbon sighed and looked out the window again, avoiding his eyes so he wouldn't be able to see right through her half-truths. "Because, you need me."

When she turned around again, he had disappeared from the living room.

She didn't see him again for the rest of the evening, and

"What if I never leave?" Jane asked the next morning, taking the seat next to her on the porch swing. "What if I decide to become a hermit and I chase trick-or-treaters off the porch with driftwood?"

"Then I'll become a hermit too," Lisbon answered, taking a sip of her coffee. "And I'll make sure you always have candy for trick-or-treaters. Not driftwood."

"What if I never speak to you ever again?"

"I'll stay even then," Lisbon said, taking a chance by reaching out and touching his hand. Daring to voice the truths she had concealed from him the day before. "Because staying with you, even in silence, would be better than having to live without you at all."

For a moment in time, Jane's world stopped. All he could hear were the sounds of the waves crashing on the beach and Lisbon's perfect words. All he could feel was the way her hand fit perfectly in his, all he could see were her eyes pleading with him not to reject her.

He took a deep breath and continued on with his battery of _what ifs? _

What if he got drunk at the local bar and brought a different women home every single night? What if all he wanted from her was a physical relationship with no strings attached? What if he wanted strings, but not the physical? What if all they ever did was fight? What if he wanted to go back to conning people for a living? What if he decided to get married again to somebody who wasn't her?

"It doesn't matter what you do," she replied, playing with his fingers. "I'm still not going to leave. The only thing that will _ever_ get me to leave is if one of us dies first."

"What if—"

Lisbon looked at him, her green eyes unblinking. "_Don't _even finish that question, Patrick Jane! You know as well as I do that you wouldn't _think_ about hitting me, not even for a second. I'm tired of your questions, Jane. Just accept the fact that one way or the other, for better or for worst you are stuck with me forever."

"It goes both ways," Jane reminded her. "If you stay, you're stuck with me for the rest of your life."

"Yes," she said, looking happier than she should at the prospect. "I know."

"And you don't mind?" he asked, frowning at her.

Lisbon turned and studied him for a second before leaning in and brushing a whisper of a kiss on his lips. She lowered her voice just a notch, "I know that maybe I should mind. That maybe I should be running in the other direction while I still have the chance. But I just can't seem to bring myself to mind one bit. I can't bring myself to run away."

Realization dawned on Jane, filling him with a sense of awe and dread all at the same time. "You love me. Don't you?"

Lisbon ghosted her left thumb over his lips and shrugged. "Yeah, I guess I do. Do you want to do something about it?"

"Do _you_ want me to do something about it?" Jane replied.

"Maybe. . . just love me back," Lisbon said tentatively. _"Please."_

"Teresa. . ." he trailed off, hating himself as his resolve to get rid of her weakened by epic proportions.

She swallowed and moved her thumb to his cheek, to his jaw, to his ear. "Are you going to try and send me away again, Patrick? Are you going to ask me another stupid _what if_?"

"I _should_," he said, reaching up for her hand and stopping her tender assault of his face, holding onto it tightly. "I shouldn't be so selfish to keep you with me forever. Not when there must be somebody out there who's a million times better for you than me."

Lisbon looked at him hopefully. "Please tell me that this whole time you've only been pretending to want me to leave."

Jane was the one to lean in and kiss _her_ this time. It was deeper than the shy, tentative caress that she'd given him. It was his way of answering her question without words, because he couldn't bring himself to say yes verbally.

When he pulled away, she was smiling at him, her eyes glowing in the early morning sun. He returned her smile, threaded his fingers through her hair and rested his forehead on her's, unable to resist her anymore.

A dozen more _what ifs _entered his mind, each one about a brighter future that actually had Lisbon in this time. They were a dozen _what ifs _that he didn't have to ask, because he already had the answers to them.

She was going to stay.

And he was going to love her.

**_The End_**

**Author's Note II:**

**I wrote this because I needed a mental break from my Mentalist Big Bang, And now that this is finished, I can go on like nothing ever happened. I'm not going to beg for reviews here, because I mostly wrote this for myself. But that doesn't mean that I'm not opposed to hearing your thoughts, actually I'd love to hear your thoughts if you have any, Just click on the little box and type until your heart's content.**

**Until Next Time!**

**Love,**

**Holly , 3/3/2013_**


	3. Act III - Hold Onto Me

**Act III – Hold Onto Me**

**A Jane & Lisbon Story**

**By Brown Eyes Parker**

**Author's Note: **

**Okay, so this is chapter 10 of "My Brother's Keeper" from Lisbon's POV. It can stand alone though, you don't have to know what's going on in the other story to read this. And I suggest you listen to "Always" sung by Sutton Foster. It is **_**completely **_**gorgeous and completely "Jisbon". **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Not the Mentalist which belongs to Bruno Heller, or "Always" which belongs to Scott Allen.**

**Rated: T**

**Shout-Outs: Tina, AngryLittlePrincess, Jane Doe51, Marcia Santos, Frogster, and Wldwmn for reviewing "Act II – Staying". **

.

"_**If there are times you find that you are feeling weak/lie next to me, I'll hold you 'til you fall asleep"**_

**Sutton Foster, Always_**

Teresa Lisbon was enjoying a leisurely morning to herself when a sharp knock on her brother's front door interrupted it. A jolt of fear shot up her spine and for a second, she considered _not_ answering the door especially what had happened the evening before. But when the third round of knocking started, she told herself that she was being ridiculous and she got up from the island to see who was there.

She peered through the peephole and saw that Patrick Jane was standing on the front porch, looking a little worst for the wear. She pulled the door open without another moment's hesitation and stepped outside.

She waited for him to speak first. But he didn't say anything. . . didn't answer any of her unasked questions. After a moment or two, he collapsed into her arms and clung to her like a drowning man clung to a life preserver.

Dozens of questions filled Lisbon's mind, but she didn't ask any of them. She knew better than that, instead she just held him close and allowed him to silently draw from the strength that only she could offer.

They stood like that for a full ten minutes before she decided to move them somewhere a little more comfortable. She pulled him inside and closed the door behind them. Then, she led him to Tommy's guest room and sat him down on the bed. She made quick work of discarding his shoes, jacket, and vest before lying down and tugging him down next her.

"Lie down," she whispered. "Let me hold you until everything's better again."

He quickly complied. After he had crawled under the covers and settled down next to her, Lisbon turned to face him and put her arms around him. He reciprocated the gesture, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face in her neck, holding her close.

His breath was warm against her skin and she was acutely aware of his spicy cologne, of his heartbeat. . . a steady tattoo against her arm. She had the sudden urge to kiss him, to make him forget all his troubles if just for a few minutes, to experiment with the chemistry that was becoming more and more palpable between them as the years ticked by.

Instead, she gently stroked the curls at the back of his neck and asked him if he wanted to talk about it.

"Maybe later," he replied as he released a deep breath.

"Later," Lisbon agreed, supplementing the urge to kiss his lips with a tender peck on his temple before she brought him in a little closer and held onto him a little tighter as he rested his head on her chest.

Moments later, he was fast asleep.

She didn't succumb to sleep as easily though. She stared at the ceiling and counted cracks while she stroked his hair and prayed that he'd be alright, that he would talk to her later just like he had said. Subconsciously, she prayed that they would be able to share more moments like the one they were sharing now.

Moments that would include just the two of them in love and without any worries. Moments that wouldn't be tainted by Red John.

She was certain whatever it was that had driven him to her arms _was_ Red John related, and nothing to do with his brother. Because nothing else agitated him the way that anything related to the serial killer did.

She sighed as she slid her hand from Jane's hair and entwined their fingers, wishing he would have just talked to her instead of keeping secrets. She wished she could have prodded and probed until he talked to her, even though she knew it was better that she left him to himself and allowed him to come to her in his own time.

He always did eventually. And even then he only gave her fifty percent of the truth, it was usually enough to ease her worries a little bit though. Most days it was better than nothing, because he was letting her in. And that was all she ever wanted.

Lisbon closed her eyes as she rested her chin on his head and listened to his quiet breathing. She tried to fight off the wave of drowsiness that suddenly hit her. She didn't want him to wake up alone, but she hadn't slept much the night before. She'd been pumped up on too much caffeine, adrenaline, partial fear, and kisses that hadn't happened.

And now in the safety and warmth of Jane's arms, she couldn't stop herself from drifting off as hard as she tried to stop herself from doing it.

**.**

She didn't wake up until she heard a door slam and her niece's cheery voice calling out for her a few hours later. And even then she completely forgot about the situation she was in until Annie burst into the room and started giggling.

"Ooops," she said through her laughter. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

Lisbon forgot to be embarrassed as she untangled herself from Jane's arms and brushed her hair out of her face. "It's fine," she said. "Did you just get home from school?"

"Yup," Annie replied smiling at Jane as she perched on the edge of the bed. "So, how long have you been here?"

Jane sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Almost all afternoon, I guess."

"Nothing happened," Lisbon said quickly defusing the situation, hoping that Annie wouldn't press the matter any further.

"Yeah," Annie answered dryly. "I believe you. Anyways, I have to go and do homework. I hope you'll stay for dinner, Patrick."

Lisbon didn't add that wanted him to stay, she didn't want to make him do anything he didn't want to.

Jane shrugged. "Maybe."

"I won't take no for an answer," Annie told him. "We're ordering Chinese, I'm sure that there'll be enough for everybody."

Jane looked at her as she crawled out of bed and pulled her hair into a ponytail. This time she nodded and added her opinion. "I'm sure that Tommy won't mind if you stay," she answered, hoping that this would be enough to make him.

"I guess I'll stay then," he answered.

"Great! I'll tell dad that we're having another person for dinner!"

"So, do you want to talk about it _now_?" Lisbon asked after Annie had left the room, ignoring the returning urge to kiss him as she started to make up the bed.

Jane helped her straighten the pillows and pull the covers up. "What makes you think something bad happened?"

"Intuition," Lisbon answered. "You wouldn't have come and seen me today if something wasn't really wrong. What happened when you went and saw Kane today?"

Jane shook his head. "I'm still having trouble believing it myself. I'm afraid that if I say it aloud, I'm going to have to start believing it."

She sat down on the bed and patted the seat beside her. "Come, talk to me. We both know you want to."

Lisbon waited and after a moment, Jane sat down beside her and let her take his hand. It took a few more seconds, and then he finally told her everything that was bothering him.

**.**

"You'll be okay without me?" Lisbon asked as she walked him out to his car after they had eaten dinner.

"If I'm not, I'll know exactly where to find you," Jane answered, turning to look at her. "Promise me that you'll stay safe. I'm worried for you, now more than ever."

"I promise that I'll try," Lisbon replied. "But I don't think anything will happen, Kane is probably too scared to do anything to me now."

"I'll feel better knowing that you're taking precautions. We're so close to catching him, I can feel it. But I don't want anything to happen to you in the process."

"If it'll make you feel any better, I'll sleep with a gun _under _my pillow instead of in the nightstand," Lisbon teased.

Jane laughed inspite of himself and pulled her into a hug. She closed his eyes and wrapped her arms around him, holding onto him like her life depended on it. "Sounds good to me, you can never be too careful," he replied.

"Words to live by," she replied, smiling at him. "Promise me that you'll be safe too, that you won't do anything stupid like kidnap Kane and force him to bring you to Red John."

"Like I'd do that," Jane said as he let her go.

"I never underestimate you," Lisbon answered, letting her arms fall to her sides.

Jane grinned. "Good for you, Lisbon. You're learning."

"Go on," she whispered. "Before it starts to get late. . ."

_Before I beg you to stay the night with me. . . before I kiss you and say things that I shouldn't say right now_, she thought to herself.

"I'll see you later," he said, getting into his car.

"See you later," Lisbon echoed, wrapping her arms around her waist feeling an acute sense of déjà vu when he drove away and left her in the glow of the porch light and moon.

**_The End_**

**Author's Note II:**

**I hope you're not completely clueless to what's going on in this story. I tried hard to make it easy to follow. And I'd love to hear your thoughts about this.**

**Love,**

**Holly, 6/8/2013_ **


	4. Act IV - The Last Five Years

**Act IV – The Last Five Years**

**A Rigsby/Van Pelt Story**

**By Brown Eyes Parker**

**Shout-Outs: chymom, Jane Doe51, Tina, I Dream Of Scotty, Angry Little Princess, Marcia Santos, Wldwmn, and Nerwen Aldarion for reviewing Act III.**

**Author's Note: **

**This story is a little different for me, I wrote it out of order. So, the end is at the beginning and the beginning at the end. I am quite excited about this because I've wanted to write a story out of order for a while now. The idea, song, and story title is from the off-Broadway show, "The Last Five Years". **

**Rated: T**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, not the song I used in this story or the Mentalist characters. I think after this story, you might be happy about that. **

**.**

"_Go and hide and run away, run away. Run and find something better. Go and ride the sun away, run away like it's simple, like it's right."_

**Still Hurting, the Last Five Years_**

**VII**_**.**_

It happened just like Jane said it would. Six months after the divorce papers were signed, he started to feel like himself again. The intense ache in his chest had ebbed to a dull pain, and he had started to except that she was never coming back. He had finally put their wedding pictures away and he didn't have to change their song when it played on the radio anymore.

The memories he had made with her, as bittersweet as they were, had finally gotten easier to think about. He no longer wanted to get rid of them or act like they never happened. He was learning to live with them, learning to realize they had helped shape who he was becoming as a person.

And he had started to date again. It wasn't anything serious, nothing long term. But it was still nice to go out with a girl who looked at him like he was the most interesting person in the world. It was nice to know that he didn't have to be alone forever when he was finally ready to fully move on.

Six months, and he could finally smile again.

He knew he was going to have to try for a little while longer, a little harder. Especially when their friends brought her up in conversations, or when he heard little tidbits about the new man in her life.

But he also knew that given some time he would be okay.

**VI.**

"It's over between us _again_. She said that the passion between us had died out, that she feels like she was staring at a smoldering pile of ashes," Wayne Rigsby told Patrick Jane as the older man plied him with strong Earl Grey tea. "She wants a divorce. I'm still struggling to understand what happened, I thought we were good. A lot of couples go through periods where there isn't any passion. Where you wonder if you're going to make it out unscathed and then you do, right?"

Jane hesitated, weighing his words carefully and then he nodded. "It _does_ happen sometimes. And sometimes, couples don't survive. Be thankful that you were lucky enough to have her for the short amount of time that you did."

"I didn't want a short amount of time," Rigsby said, as he glanced towards the living room where Teresa Lisbon was sleeping curled up on the couch. "I wanted forever just like you and the Boss. I thought we would have forever. And now we don't have anything. All that's left is a memory palace full of events that a part of me doesn't even want anymore."

"It will be hard at first," Jane replied. "It'll feel like you won't ever move on, like you'll have an ache in your chest that won't ever go away and then one day, you'll realize that the ache has dulled considerably until it's completely gone, and all your left with is the _good_ memories. The good feelings that you had when you were with that person. And then you'll realize that you can move on. You just have to be a little patient because feeling normal again can take a while."

Rigsby shook his head, his words were dripping with a mixture of sadness and desperation. "I just want to fix things Jane. Why can't I ever fix things?"

**V.**

"It's time to move on Wayne," Van Pelt said not looking at him as she returned home after working the late shift at work.

"What do you mean that it's time to move on!?" he asked, panic rising to his chest.

"I want a divorce," she answered. "I don't love you anymore. I don't even know how we made it this far."

"But Grace, it can't be over!" Rigsby protested. "_I_ still love you, _I_ still want to be with you—"

"No!" She replied firmly, shaking her head vigorously. "It's over! I don't feel anything for you anymore. You don't really want to live like that do you?"

"Don't you still care for me even a little bit?" Rigsby asked quietly.

Van Pelt softened slightly for a moment and then she shook her head again. "I don't care enough to stay. It's like the passion between us has died out completely and I'm staring at a pile of smoldering ashes. I can't live like this."

"There are periods of time when there isn't any passion in a relationship, but couples survive it. Why can't we try and survive it?"

"I've been trying for a long time now," Van Pelt answered. "I just can't seem to make it work. I'm sorry. Don't hate me. . . please."

"I could _never_ hate you," Rigsby assured her, looking at her and trying to smile as he stood up. "I'm going to go out for a little bit. I'll be back later."

**IV. **

_Five years later_

They had fallen into the same old dull routine. Early mornings streamed seamlessly into late nights. A week seemed eight days long. Their secret was out in the open and they were both working with different units in different towns. She had a better position, with more while he was stuck on a team with Cho, Jane, and Lisbon doing the same old thing that he did before they had ever even met.

Regardless of how busy they got, he always made time for them. But she was so over Chinese food dinners and stolen kisses in the coat closet, she was over French vanilla flavored coffee. She was done picking Ben up from school every other day, and watching _Finding Nemo_ with him on Friday nights. She had eaten her last bowl of birthday cake ice cream and helped finish her last science experiment. She'd taken the dog out for the last time.

She was ready to find her own identity again and shed the one she had donned when she had married the Rigsby boys.

She had fallen out of love and become disillusioned with the imperfect little family that culture said you needed to have to be happy.

She was ready to break free from the chains of routine and find something new.

She just needed to find a way to break the news to Rigsby gently because she knew it was going to break his heart.

And the last thing she wanted to do was break his heart.

She wished he could move on as easily as she had.

**III.**

Van Pelt couldn't have asked for a more perfect setting. The day was warm, the sun was shining brightly, and there wasn't a cloud to be seen. And everybody she loved the most had come out to witness her vows to Rigsby.

As she made her way down the aisle to where Rigsby and Ben were waiting for her, she thought that she was going to explode with happiness.

She wondered what had made her avoid Rigsby and her feelings for him for so long when this is what she had always wanted. She didn't know how she had survived without him for so long, why she had protected her heart for so long.

She wanted to be his wife.

She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.

She just managed to swallow her squeal when the minister pronounced them man and wife, and told Rigsby that he could kiss the bride.

She could barely wait to start forever with him.

**II.**

"Marry me," Rigsby whispered as he pulled a small box out of his back pocket. "Marry me and make me the happiest man on earth, please."

"We've barely been back together for a month!" Van Pelt replied, looking at him and the velvet ring box in surprise.

"But we've _known_ each other longer than a month," Rigsby reminded her. "I knew I wanted to marry you the day that we met. I love you and I will treat you like the queen that you are if you say yes."

She hesitated again, unsure of what to say next as a million scenarios raced through her mind. She knew that he was right; they _had_ known each other for years. Then there was Lisbon and Jane, they had gotten married exactly three weeks after they had started dating. And they were both more in love than ever, it seemed like they fell a little more for each other with every passing day.

If Jane and Lisbon could make it (when they never should have made it in the first place) Van Pelt was _certain _that she and Rigsby could make it too.

"Yes," she decided. "Yes, I will marry you! I love you too!"

Rigsby smiled almost triumphantly and took her hand, gently sliding the ring on her finger. Then he wrapped his arms around her and gave her one of the most passionate kisses that she had ever experienced.

"You won't regret this!" He promised between kisses. "I promise that you won't regret this!"

"I know," she replied, returning his kisses. "I know."

**I.**

"This was a good idea," Van Pelt said as they left the movie theater hand-in-hand. "We should do this again sometime. A real date instead of just skipping straight to the bedroom things, I like going out with you. I had fun."

"I'm glad," Rigsby replied. "I had fun too. We should _definitely_ do this again sometime. You can pick what we do next."

"Even if it's a nature hike or a bike ride, or even a yoga class?"

"Sure," he answered easily. "I don't mind doing that stuff as long as we're together."

"Okay, I'll think about it and get back to you then," Van Pelt said cheerfully as she pulled out her car keys and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Goodnight Wayne."

"Goodnight Grace," Rigsby echoed, returning her kiss with a chaste one of his own. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Van Pelt waved as she slid into her car. "See you tomorrow!"

Rigsby watched her drive away, trying hard to hide his excitement that they were starting to make progress in their relationship again.

He couldn't wait to see if they were headed towards forever.

He wanted them to have forever. It was something he had been waiting to have with her since the day they had met.

He wasn't quite sure about it yet, but he had a good feeling about them this time around.

He had a feeling they would make it work this go around. That they would make it work, and that they would be happy forever.

He couldn't wait for forever to start.

**_The End_**

**Author's Note II:**

**I am quite happy with how this piece turned out, it being my first story written backwards instead of chronological order and it is one of my only Rigspelt stories (I am all about the Jisbon, as you know). But I want to know what YOU guys thought. Drop a line and tell me what you think, please. **

**Lots of love,**

**Holly, 7/30/2013_ **


	5. Act V - Perfect TimePerfect Place

**Act V – The Perfect Time & Perfect Place**

**A Jane/Lisbon Story**

**Brown Eyes Parker**

**Shout-Outs: **

**Night Owl 33 and Jane Doe51 **

**Rated: K+**

**Disclaimer: **

**I don't own anything, not even the Aida CD. **

**.**

"_This may not be the moment to tell you face to face, but I could wait forever for the perfect time and place."_

**Elaborate Lives, Aida_**

"What are you still doing here?" Patrick Jane asked as he tossed the CD-ROM shards on his desk and sat down on the chair, burying his face in his hands. "Don't you get it, Teresa? You're probably not going to get out of this alive. You should be as far away from me as possible."

Teresa Lisbon shook her head and knelt down in front of him, forcing him to look into her eyes. "We started this together; we're going to finish it together. I don't care what happens to me as long as _you're_ okay in the end."

Jane laughed hollowly. "I was going to say the same thing about you. I guess we've reached a stalemate then. You're not going to leave me alone and I'm going to try and get you as far away from me as possible. You are one of the only good memories that I have left. I don't want anything to happen to you, I couldn't live with myself if—"

"Shhh," Lisbon said, putting her finger to his lips and shaking her head again. "We're going to get through this together, there isn't anything you can do to make me change my mind."

"Why?" Jane asked again, this time he asked it so quietly Lisbon had to strain to hear it.

"Because," Lisbon answered, making sure he was still looking at her as a rush of courage that wouldn't be ignored washed over her. "Because I _love _you Patrick Jane and there isn't anything you can do about it."

Jane shook his head. "Don't say that, _please _don't say that. I don't want to hear it, that's why I cut you off in the car earlier. If we name whatever it is that's been between us for the past ten years then we are going to be in hotter water than ever."

"I am done pretending that what I feel for you isn't real," Lisbon said. "I'm so tired of everything we're going through right now. I just want to be with you without fear overshadowing us."

"This isn't the right time to talk about this," Jane whispered.

"When will it be? We could wait _forever_ and it wouldn't be the right time. If I'm not going to survive this final battle, I don't want to die without you knowing what I felt for you. . . what I _feel_ for you. Please tell me you feel the same way," she whispered back, stroking his cheeks gently.

Jane stood up abruptly and went back to the window, staring out at the Sacramento skyline without saying a word or even looking back at her.

Lisbon sighed and got to her feet, realizing all too well that he was dismissing her. "Okay, I'll be in my office if you change your mind and want to tell me anything."

He didn't turn around until he heard the door click shut and her footsteps disappear down the hallway.

He just couldn't bring himself to tell her what he was really thinking or how he really felt. This time he wouldn't be able to take it back like he had before. It scared him because a confession could be even more of a death sentence than when he pretended his feelings for her didn't exist.

But at the same time, Jane wanted to tell her that he loved her as well. He was tired of living in fear too, tired of pretending that his feelings for her didn't exist, he was tired of waiting for the right time or place. In reality, he was never sure that there would be a right time or place. He knew at the end of the day, it was his heart that he was protecting.

At the end of the day, he knew even if he never told her and if he lost her then he would _still_ have to live with heartache for the rest of life.

He hesitated for a second, not wanting to go crawling to her right after he had rejected her. But he knew if he didn't do it with the one little shard of courage that was coursing through his veins than he might never do it at all.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to walk towards the door.

**.**

"I love you," he said as he barged into her office.

"Oh yeah?" Lisbon challenged, her eyes flashing in the late afternoon light. "Are you sure about that? Or are you just going to take it back in a couple hours?"

Jane looked at her in surprise by how much she had changed in the space of a few minutes. Up in his attic hideaway, she almost had been pleading with him to tell her that he loved her too. And now her attitude towards him was borderline cold.

"I love you too," he replied, shutting the door behind him and walking towards her. "And guess what. . ."

"What?" Lisbon asked quietly, softening slightly as he drew closer and closer.

"There isn't anything you can do about it," Jane said.

"But I thought you said that this wasn't the right time to talk about it."

"I did say that," he agreed, stopping in front of her and pulling her to her feet. "I know I never say this, but I was wrong because you were right. There might never be a right time or place to talk about it. Now _has_ to be the right time. I don't want you to be my biggest regret in ten years, Teresa."

Lisbon nodded her head in understanding, not looking away from his face for a second.

"I want to be with you," Jane continued as he laced their fingers together. "For as long as I can. Hopefully that'll be forever, but if we only have a few months then I want to cherish every moment that we have together. No hurrying things. I've waited forever to tell you how I feel. To _show_ you how I feel, I want to take things slowly. I'm afraid that I'll miss something if we don't."

"Okay," Lisbon agreed quietly, smiling at him.

"If there's anything you want to add, now would be the time to do it."

Lisbon shook her head and tightened her grip on his hand. "I just want to be with you," she answered.

**_The End_**

**Author's Note:**

**Abrupt ending and no kiss, sorry about that. The bright side is that I'm thinking about doing a sequel as I write this author's note. I was running out of steam with this story though, and whenever that happens, I always write an extremely stupid ending. So, I wanted to avoid that this time around. Anyways, I'd love to hear your thoughts about this piece. Leave a review in the box below if you feel like telling me what you thought.**

**Until Next Time!**

**Love,**

**Holly, 8/13/2013_**


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